Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Guinea

Name: Guinea
Address: GN

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,391 in Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Guinea despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Guinea
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Guinea Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇬🇳 Guinea

$1,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Guinea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,391 in Guinea.

South Africa $1,203
Guinea $1,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $2,282 in Guinea.

South Africa $1,893
Guinea $2,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $3,174 in Guinea.

South Africa $2,583
Guinea $3,174

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Guinea ($203–$1,362) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa costs about 14% less than in Guinea on average.

South Africa (12% below) and Guinea (2% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$9.30 GNF 81.9K

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$41.88 GNF 368.8K

-0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$9.24 GNF 81.4K

-37.23%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$4.73 GNF 41.6K

-50.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.77 GNF 15.6K

-36.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$3.40 GNF 29.9K

-28.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$4.00 GNF 35.3K

-23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.18 GNF 19.2K

-45.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.37 GNF 12.0K

-17.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.94 GNF 17.1K

-10.31%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$3.86 GNF 34.0K

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$22.83 GNF 201.0K

-63.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$4.63 GNF 40.8K

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$7.90 GNF 69.6K

-3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.75 GNF 24.2K

-35.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.32 GNF 20.4K

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.97 GNF 17.4K

-10.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$2.80 GNF 24.7K

-37.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.69 GNF 14.8K

-11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.64 GNF 14.5K

-10.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.07 GNF 9,410

14.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.12 GNF 9,828

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$1.19 GNF 10.5K

172.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.62 GNF 14.2K

-7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.46 GNF 12.9K

32.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$1.46 GNF 12.9K

1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$28.26 GNF 248.8K

109.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.57 GNF 13.8K

-30.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.86 GNF 7,614

15.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$38.22 GNF 336.5K

-80.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.41 GNF 12.4K

1.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.3K R 587.4K

$25.0K GNF 220.4M

41.06%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.4K R 539.7K

$23.7K GNF 208.7M

36.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 R 2,208

$175 GNF 1.5M

-24.30%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.83 R 580

$76.7 GNF 674.9K

-54.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$183 GNF 1.6M

-78.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$87.7 GNF 772.2K

-62.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$29.11 GNF 256.3K

-59.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$3.96 GNF 34.9K

81.31%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$224 R 3,728

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$6,285 GNF 55.3M

-13.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$20.40 GNF 179.6K

165.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$25.42 GNF 223.8K

34.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$29.94 GNF 263.6K

240.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$49.87 GNF 439.1K

77.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$503 GNF 4.4M

-2.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$312 GNF 2.7M

27.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,159 GNF 10.2M

-18.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$1,024 GNF 9.0M

-19.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$110 GNF 971.2K

896.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$2,371 GNF 20.9M

-36.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

10.25

9.56%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Guinea

$312 22.5% 21.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Guinea

$435 31.3% 110% $227

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Guinea

$261 * 18.7% 33% $65

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Guinea

$191 * 13.7% 21.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Guinea

$57 4.1% 55% $69

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Guinea

$40 2.9% 43.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Guinea

$96 6.9% 102% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $508 in Guinea. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $508 in Conakry.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $1,821 in Guinea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in Guinea.

Public transport is 110% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 22% higher in Guinea.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇬🇳 Guinea

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

11:19 11:19 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

12,717,176

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Guinean Franc GNF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 GNF = 1.14 USD

10,000 GNF = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GNF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Guinean Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 8,805 GNF (10,000 GNF = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 9,800 GNF (10,000 GNF = 1.02 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Guinea 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Guinea

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

South Africa vs Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,391 per month in Guinea and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 16% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $508 in Guinea and $422 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.